This year, Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska and mother of five, was plucked from obscurity, shouting the middle-American credentials of a political anti-hero and hockey mom to become the first Republican woman nominated to the post of United States vice-president.

Interestingly, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice struggled to contain her displeasure at the choice, which had trouble passing the litmus test of merit in the eyes of anyone who doesn't happen to be an evangelical Christian. The role of secretary of state is one of the most senior in the US cabinet. It implies signal influence as well as difficulty in the global political climate.

The next incumbent will confront knotty dilemmas that will not be resolved by charm or lipstick alone, although both may be necessary if the incumbent is a woman. For instance, a bellicose Russian leadership anxious to test the mettle of the new administration and messy wars in the Middle East which will have direct implications for domestic oil supply and the health of the US economy. Then there's Iran's increasing reliance as a diplomatic gambit on posturing about its nuclear status.

Dr Madeleine Albright (''a brilliant woman, though difficult'', according to former French president Francois Mitterand) was the first to warm this post for women when appointed secretary of state by Bill Clinton in 1996. Albright, an intellectual heavyweight who specialised in Eastern European political history, was to discover Jewish ancestry during her term and to earn herself a reputation as a fearless negotiator in an era of repeat genocides in the Balkans.

Rice's turn as Secretary of State has been variously described as brilliant and catastrophic. Introduced by George W. Bush as national security adviser, Rice appeared to favour hardline positions on foreign policy issues, and to suffer from a tendency to search out evidence to support those positions. Although Rice alleges that key information was withheld from her in a toxic domestic political environment, she had a key role in the weapons of mass destruction debacle.

It proved no obstacle, however, to her appointment as Secretary of State after Colin Powell resigned from the position. Much more confident in this role, she has used her friendship with Bush to promote the cause of diplomatic rather than military engagement with North Korea and Iran, and she has brought resolve, acumen and intellectual prowess to more recent diplomatic interventions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Rice is an inscrutable figure whose elation on Barack Obama's recent victory scrambled her famous poise and brought her to public tears. She was a contender for the Republican presidential nomination before public opinion turned against the war in Iraq, and her discomfort with her party's choice of Palin was to be expected.

In post-election America, all eyes are on the Obama camp, which maintains a tight discipline and failed to correct a leak tapping Hillary Clinton as the next secretary of state. She now finds herself at a crossroads fairly soon after the finest hour of her political career. If she is Obama's enemy, and perhaps reports of division are overstated, he would be wise to keep her close. Both Democrats are consensus builders prepared to work hard for a shared political cause, and her formidable connections and political experience make her an excellent choice on merit alone.

Madam Clinton? Yes please.

Jacqueline Jago is a Canberra writer and lawyer.